First, the good news; there are places in this country that you can drive on the open highway as fast as you want (well, almost). The bad news is there aren't any such places in California as of yet. Hopefully that will change in the future, but until then we will have to drive to Eastern Nevada to enjoy these events. On the plus side Nevada isn't really that far away, and out of the 7 events currently scheduled on an annual basis, 5 of them are in Nevada. The other 2 are in the eastern part of the Country and I won't deal with them here. Of course they aren't free, or even cheap, but if you really want to go fast without fear of a ticket, this is the way to go.

Just about all of these events work the same way. Anybody old enough to have a driver's license can participate in any safe vehicle. Everyone is broken into classes that set your target average speed. Each class has a maximum "tech" speed. For example if your average speed for the event is 105mph, your tech speed would be something like 130mph; go faster than that and you're disqualified. Cars are started with the fastest groups first (except Unlimited), followed by even increments of time down to the slowest class.

These are rally events, NOT side-by-side races. If you crash, it's your fault for driving too fast. But that really isn't any different from driving anywhere else. This may not be a substitute for track time, but it sure is a great way to spend a weekend.

MKM RACING PRODUCTIONS
www.openroadracing.com
MKM has three events each year in Nevada; the Pony Express 100, Bonneville 100, and the Gambler's Run. Entrance fees run between $300-$500 depending on your class.

SILVER STATE CLASSIC CHALLENGE
www.silverstateclassic.com
SSCC also has three events in Nevada each year; the Gold Rush Challenge, Nevada Open Road Challenge, and the Silver State Classic Challenge. Entrance fees run between $395-$680 depending on your class.

Click on the highlighted road or marker for the rally you wish to view.